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Last update - 19:58 12/01/2009
Netivot home collapses as Hamas intensifies rocket fire from Gaza
By Haaretz Service
Tags: idf, hamas, gaza, israel news

Gaza militants stepped up rocket fire into southern Israel Saturday evening, firing Qassam rockets at Netivot, the Eshkol region and Sha'ar Hanegev.



One of the rockets scored a direct hit on a house in Netivot, causing the structure to completely collapse. The resident of the house sustained minor shrapnel wounds to her legs in the attack.
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At least 31 rockets have been fired from Gaza into Israel since Saturday morning, when a barrage of Palestinian rockets directly hit an apartment building in Ashdod, wounding two Israelis lightly.

Two more people were treated for shock.

A house in Ashkelon also suffered a direct hit, as three rockets rained down on the city Saturday morning.

An additional strike was reported in Kiryat Malachi, the first such attack in the northern Negev city.

On Friday, two salvoes of Grad rockets struck Ashkelon, with a home in the southern city sustaining a direct hit. A person in an adjacent house suffered shrapnel wounds as a result of the strike.

Five people suffered shock in the targeted building.

The second salvo included two Grad rockets: One hit an open area, and the other struck a residential area, hitting a vehicle and sparking a fire. Three more people suffered shock.

The owner of the home that was directly hit, Hagai Ben Avraham, said that he had just gotten out of the shower and was preparing to go to synagogue when he heard the early warning siren and headed for the protected room in the house when the Grad hit.

"It's an obvious miracle," he said, after the rocket penetrated his shingled roof. "The entire family has called already. Neighbors invited us to spend Shabbat at their house. I'm not worried. It looks like I won't get a chance to pray tonight, but tomorrow I will say a blessing first thing in the morning."

Ben Avraham added that he had just finished renovating his house only three days earlier.

Three additional rockets hit the Eshkol Regional Council, with one rocket exploding in a resident's yard.

Early Friday morning, Gaza militants fired four rockets into Ashkelon. Three of them hit residential areas. One of the rockets scored a direct hit on an apartment building, but the lives of the residents were spared as they had spent the night in shelters. In another incident, a woman sustained minor shrapnel wounds and three others suffered shock.

Two more rockets hit the Sdot Hanegev Regional Council and two Qassams hit Sderot. No one was hurt, and no damage was reported.

The Israel Air Force fired missiles at Palestinian rocket launching squads in the Gaza Strip directly after a rocket salvo hit Ashkelon, and destroyed two rocket launchers.

A barrage of more than 50 rockets at southern Israel on Thursday, one of which scored a direct hit on an eight-floor residential building in the northern Negev city of Ashdod, nearly 40 kilometers from the Hamas-ruled coastal territory.

That strike caused severe damage to the building, but all residents were evacuated without injury.

Rockets continued exploding over the course of the afternoon in Ashdod, Ashkelon, Be'er Sheva, cities previously considered out of the range of Gaza rockets.

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      1.   askalaan! 09:01  |  bashar 02/01/09
      2.   Praying for Israelis 09:59  |  Mona 02/01/09
      3.   Deal with it... 10:01  |  A. Fatah 02/01/09
      4.   A new military reality? 10:24  |  Manny Goldstein 02/01/09
      5.   can the IDF operate as a land army? 17:15  |  Paul Freedman 02/01/09
      6.   shalom 17:28  |  Larissa 02/01/09
      7.   No Notice From hamas 17:51  |  Ron 02/01/09
      8.   Hey Larissa-- 17:57  |  IW 02/01/09
      9.   bashar what`s the relevance to where they came from? 18:30  |  x-ray 02/01/09
      10.   To: Larissa 18:30  |  Angel 02/01/09
      11.   `100% agreed with Mona!!` 19:56  |  SMRadhi 02/01/09
      12.   How can Israel kill innocent civilians? 19:56  |  Aaron 02/01/09
      13.   Gazza 20:31  |  Samir 02/01/09
      14.   How can Israel kill innocent civilians? 21:36  |  Bernardo 02/01/09
      15.   #12 Aaron - How can IDF, etc 23:48  |  *BEN JABO 02/01/09
      16.   Why bombing Ashkelon is the most tragic irony 00:15  |  bobby 03/01/09
      17.   Aaron in Buffalo 02:17  |  KT 03/01/09
      18.   Ground Forces necessary 15:49  |  Brod 03/01/09
      19.   bobby in bulgaria - Using Robert Fisk as a source 18:49  |  Arie 03/01/09
      20.   Dear Larissa 19:58  |  Your DoubleSpeak 03/01/09
      21.   To Aaron 20:01  |  Old Soldier 03/01/09
      22.   I`m sure most Palestinians in Gaza will be happy 04:48  |  NMF 04/01/09
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